Mom for an Afternoon
by Me
Summary: Michelle's home alone...no, wait, Nicky and Alex get dropped off, and the 4YOs are in an ornery mood. Can Michelle keep from having to ground them from a carnival they've waited for for so long? A few book characters mentioned, but really TV Universe


All "Full House" characters and indicia are products of Warner Broters and/or  
Dualstar Entertainment. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons pr  
places or other things, real or imagined, is purely coincidental.  
  
This is not my best work grammatically, I'm sorry, as it was at a time when I was  
just beginning to write really well. However, it's still quite good, say several readers,  
and so by request I have chosen to post what would have been revised and turned into a  
Full House Michelle book a couple years ago, but it wasn't to be.  
  
Instead, it has been lined up with my other fics a touch so they're consistent, and  
voila:  
  
MOM FOR AN AFTERNOON  
CHAPTER ONE  
Nine-year-old Michelle Tanner happily rode her bicycle. She was returning home.   
She'd been in the park with friends all morning.  
It was the Friday after Christmas. She loved bike riding even in chilly weather.   
This was extra special, though. She usually behaved very well. However, she'd gone  
to the park alone a couple weeks ago. She'd been unable to ride until today.  
She couldn't believe it when her dad said it was hard to punish someone. She  
thought adults had it easy. However, she accepted the blame for what she'd done. She  
couldn't believe she'd done it. Her heart had said "no." She just hadn't listened.  
She parked her bike in a small, backyard shed. She thought about the New Years'  
Eve party that weekend. Her twin cousins' excitement thrilled her. She would have  
fun there. But, they talked about the party more than any present.  
The back door was locked. Michelle pulled out a new Barbie keychain. She used  
her key.  
"At least I have responsibility with this," she considered. She'd been sad because  
everyone else got to do things over Christmas. Almost everyone in her family had  
plans.  
Michelle quickly hung up her coat. She saw the answering machine light flashing.   
She closed the door, and ran to listen to the messages.  
"Hey, whoever gets this," came her dad's voice. "I know you expect me  
home. But, the airport was snowed in. I should be home early this evening. Hope  
you guys had fun. Joey's leaving for L.A. Of course, if you're Joey, it's you who's  
leaving for L.A. If you're Jesse, don't bother with supper. I'll bring home a pizza  
unless I'm really late. If you're Joey, you won't get any. You'll be in L.A. If you're  
Michelle, Stephanie, Nicky, or Alex, get this message to Joey, Becky, or Jesse. If  
you're D.J., why are you hearing this? I thought you were skiing... beep!"  
Michelle laughed. Her charming giggle reminded everyone of her mom. "That's  
Dad, all right. He planned that message perfectly. It lasted exactly the amount of time  
available."  
Michelle's mother died when she was a baby. Her dad, Danny Tanner, needed  
help raising Michelle and her sisters, Stephanie and D.J.. So, Michelle's Uncle Jesse  
moved in. So did her dad's best friend, Joey Gladstone. Later, Jesse married Becky  
Donaldson. They had four-year-old twin boys named Nicky and Alex.  
Danny and Becky hosted a local television show. They were asked to fly to Ohio  
for something. However, Jesse and Becky were already leaving on vacation. So,  
Danny flew alone.  
She listened to the next message. It was Joey. She chuckled as she heard him  
impersonate a puppet of his. This one always used wood puns.  
"Hey, Danny. It's Mr. Woodchuck. The twins are with the Griffiths logging in  
play time. They might be sawing logs before they get back. I made it to the airport  
safely. I'm going to tape my New Years' Eve show early. After I branch out to L.A.,  
I'll see you all tomorrow." Joey said "beep" at the end. He was imitating the  
machine.  
Michelle laughed. Joey was a very funny comedian. Now, he was gone, too.   
And, Stephanie was shopping with her friends. But, Jesse and Becky had to be back.   
Didn't they?  
The third message was from Jesse. It made Michelle laugh harder. "Hey, it's  
Jesse. I know you're leaving tomorrow for L.A., Joey." Michelle's mouth flung  
opened. "They got their days mixed up!" "Just wanted to wish you luck. We're so  
glad you bought us this vacation with your work bonus, Danny. We're taking it nice  
and easy. We'll be back tomorrow. I'm sure you're hearing this too, Danny. You  
had an early AM flight home. Oh, Danny, sorry about your new vacuum cleaner. If  
you don't know what I mean yet, Joey will tell you. The boys get no dessert for a  
week.....Beep"  
Michelle whistled. She considered the situation. "Four adults and D.J. are gone.   
Stephanie must be out shopping by now."  
"Whoa, baby," she uttered to herself. A large grin slowly formed. "All these  
people living in this house...and I'm the only one here." She was amazed it hadn't  
happened before this. Their schedules were so crowded sometimes!  
She warmed hot chocolate in the microwave. She felt no desire to disobey. She  
hated being left out of everything again. However, she wanted to show she was  
responsible. She wanted to follow the rules. Maybe then, she would get to do more.  
Comet, the family's dog, walked up to her. Michelle turned to face the Golden  
Retriever. "Terry the Talking Washcloth. Remind me." That was her dad's  
imaginary friend when he was little. It was also the family's code. If anyone became  
lost or wound up there alone, anyone coming for them had to utter that phrase.  
Michelle brushed back her strawberry blonde bangs. She slowly forgot about the  
twins. She sipped her hot chocolate and munched on a sandwich. The cocoa steamed  
as it touched her lips. It warmed her inside as much as her heavy sweatshirt had her  
outside. "How can folks from Ohio call the fifties warm in winter?"  
She placed her cup and dish in the sink. She rinsed them and considered how to  
pass the time. She could write a story. Or talk on the phone. "No, I just spent the  
whole morning with my friends." She hadn't quite read all her new books. She could  
also read an old one. Or...  
She snapped her fingers. She turned to the dog. He provided great companionship  
in the strangely empty house. "Comet, you know what a video marathon is?" The  
dog seemed unaware. "Come on, boy." The dog followed her to the study.  
She opened one of a dozen filing cabinets. All were stuffed with videos. "Dad's  
so wild about taping us, I could spend days here. Vacations...school  
plays...recitals...ah." She put her left hand on a tape. "Let's start with this, Comet.   
We're invited to a birthday party. Then I'll pull out the Michelle Birthday file.'   
Every year from when I was born to my party last summer." She grinned, thinking  
about her plan. This would be lots of fun. And, the house wouldn't seem nearly as  
empty. She had plenty to do.  
"This being alone stuff is a breeze. Just wait for a code and relive great  
memories." And her Uncle Jesse had said what? "Be careful what you ask for, you  
might just get it?" Why wouldn't she ask for this?  
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. She closed the cabinet and ran to the door. "Who is  
it?"  
She expected the code words. Instead, she heard Mrs. Griffith, Nicky, and Alex all  
speaking at once.  
"That's right, they were coming, too!" She opened the door.  
"Hi, Michelle," spoke Mrs. Griffith quickly. "I'm just here to drop off the  
boys. They were good. They had no treats, just like Joey said. I've got to hurry  
Jeremy to his doctor's appointment. Tell everyone hi."  
She rushed off as Michelle hollered "wait." Mrs. Griffith watched as she drove  
away. She waved back at Michelle.  
"She thinks I'm just waving goodbye." Michelle turned around. Nicky and Alex  
had disappeared. "Well, so much for being alone," she told Comet. "Oh, well,  
this should still be easy." "I have to entertain them. But, I've helped Uncle Jesse  
and Aunt Becky with them. Stephanie and D.J. have even let me assist when they've  
babysat. I'm alone now. But, now I can show Dad just how much I can do."  
She jogged into the kitchen to see where the twins had gone. She re-entered the  
living room. They were coming down the front stairs. "What are you looking for?"  
"Where is everybody?" Nicky wondered.  
She could understand why being alone seemed strange, living in such a full house.   
Michelle pointed at herself. "I'm it. I'm everybody right now. I'm the only one  
here."  
"Nuh-uh. We're here too," Alex answered.  
She gave a satisfied smile. "That means I'm the boss." The words failed to  
register immediately.  
"Cookie time," the twins shouted at the same time. They rushed into the  
kitchen.  
"Two minutes and they're already trying to break the rules," Michelle told  
Comet. She followed them into the kitchen. I sure hope they don't stay like this.  
  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER TWO  
Michelle jogged into the kitchen. She casually said "freeze." The twins held a  
bag of cookies. They slowed to a stop, opening the bag slightly. They watched to see  
her reaction.  
"They're supposed to stop all movement," considered Michelle. "Give me  
that." She took the bag and returned it to the pantry.  
"We were gonna share,"Alex insisted.  
"Yeah, with each other," his brother told her.  
It was just dawning on her. She was in charge. Bossing others around for once  
seemed like fun. Michelle spoke in a melodramatic way. "No way, Jose. Wait just a  
minute. I seem to recall a certain vacuum cleaner, brand new, stuffed with Legos.   
And, an order that you were not to have dessert for a week. Sound familiar?"  
Michelle grinned. This was fun. She'd wanted to make rules. She knew right from  
wrong. Not that she always followed it. But, Michelle knew the basics. And, how  
hard could it be, anyway. Her dad sure made it look easy.  
"But this isn't dessert," Nicky said.  
Alex added "we haven't had supper yet."  
"When I was your age..." She laughed at herself. The boys copied the  
infectious giggling. Her pony tail bounced slightly. "Yeah, right. I sound like a  
dad."  
"I wish I could say I sound like my mom. Oh, well, handling this shouldn't be too  
hard," she reassured herself. "I just have to play with them."  
She sighed. They had a point. Dessert was after supper. But, she knew the rule  
really meant no snacks at all. She wanted to let them have some cookies. But, she  
knew she shouldn't. "Look, boys. No ice cream meant no ice cream to me at your  
age."  
"But what about cookies," they wondered. Each repeated the word "please"  
about ten times.  
Michelle held her ground. "No snacks means no snacks," came the determined  
voice. She showed her warm, friendly smile. The twins copied. This relieved  
Michelle. She could understand one test. She behaved like that, too, sometimes.  
"Now that that's over, they'll be good." The grinning reminded Michelle of  
something. She knew it was her mother's favorite saying. "Always give away a  
smile, they're free and you'll get plenty back." Or...well, it went something like  
that.  
She put her arms around Nicky and Alex.. She hoped they weren't mad. She'd  
raised her voice more than she'd wanted. "Now, give me a big hug." They  
embraced. "You're just in time for a birthday party video marathon."  
"Boring," came Alex's tired voice.  
"That's right. They don't watch a lot of TV. I guess that's good. But, right now  
I wish they did." The boys might watch one VeggieTales video with Michelle. But,  
they might have a lot longer to wait.  
Nicky suggested they jump on the bed. Michelle decided that was okay. She led  
them up to the room she and Stephanie shared.  
Michelle remembered a camp song. "I'm going to teach you a new song." She  
directed them to her bed and took off her sweatshirt. She folded it and placed it on a  
chair. She climbed onto Stephanie's bed.  
"Does it have counting," Nicky wondered. Nicky and Alex loved to count.  
"Sort of. What you do is, you jump and start in a very low whisper. First verse,  
same as the first.'" She bounced on Stephanie's mattress while showing them.  
"No, Michelle," Alex informed her. "You start counting with oneth."  
Nicky nodded his head in approval. "Yeah, oneth, tooth, threeth, fourth,  
fifth..."  
"That is so cute." "No, you see, first means one - like when we look at  
pictures." She asked if they remembered their first birthday.  
"Yeah," spoke Nicky, "when the doctor took us outta Mommy."  
"That was the day you were born. The day you are born is not your birthday."   
She scratched her head. She could see why they looked confused. That made no  
sense. "Watch me. You'll get the hang of it."  
She bounced again. " First verse, same as the first. A little bit louder and a little  
bit worse.' Can you do that?"  
The twins jumped and copied her. They shouted quite loudly though. They were  
already at the eighth verse's level.  
"No, no," Michelle cried out, holding out her hands.  
Nicky and Alex jumped. They sang "no, no," while holding out their hands just  
as Michelle had done.  
As Michelle placed a hand on her forehead, Nicky shouted "this is fun."  
"Yeah, what do we sing now," Alex asked.  
"Let's try this once more," Michelle whispered. "You can be quiet, can't  
you?"  
"Yes," Nicky whispered.  
Michelle nodded quickly. She went back to her regular voice. "Good, now..."  
"Michelle," hollered Alex.  
"What?"  
"You didn't use your quiet voice," her cousin complained.  
"At least they understand the rule." She whispered her instructions. The tots  
sang and bounced. They quickly mastered the song. By the tenth and final verse, they  
were all screaming like a monster was after them. Michelle jumped with her hands on  
her ears.  
After doing the entire song several more times, the twins got off Michelle's bed.   
They put their shoes on again. Still standing on Stephanie's bed, Michelle asked  
"what is it?"  
"Let's do something else," Alex said.  
Michelle wished she could have gotten them to jump some more. She could have  
jumped for a lot longer. "Hmmm, let's look for something. Where's the ceiling?"   
When both boys pointed up, she tickled them.  
"Where's the ceiling," the brothers shouted simultaneously. Michelle pointed  
up, and the twins returned the tickling. Soon, all three rolled and laughed heartily.  
The trio tired of that after about a minute. They sat upright. Nicky and Alex  
wanted to do something different.  
"Okay, like what?" Michelle followed them out the door into the hallway.  
"I dunno," Nicky replied.  
"Me neither," came his brother.  
Michelle rubbed her lip. She was good at playing with her cousins. She knew she  
could do something to keep them occupied. "Hmmm, let's go look at Joey's  
puppets."  
They ran down to Joey's basement apartment. "Where are they," shouted Nicky.  
"With the key to the batter's box," Alex suggested.  
Nicky agreed. "Yeah, maybe. Joey's always losing that."  
Michelle laughed. "Joey likes to pull that on you, doesn't he," she remarked.   
This was an old trick used to keep her busy when she was little. Michelle now knew  
that the batter's box was merely a square. Baseball players stood in it while batting. It  
was not a box with a missing key.  
"Pull what on us," Alex wondered.  
"That's right. They still fall for that," she reminded herself. "Oh... nothing,  
nothing. I guess the puppets are all in L.A. with him." She frowned slightly. Now,  
they couldn't have a puppet show.  
"But if he took his key we'll know where he left it," came Alex's reply.  
Michelle laughed. "Okay. I guess that makes sense."  
"I gotta go potty," Nicky reported.  
"Me, too," Alex said. He followed his brother. They went up to the second  
floor bathroom.  
Michelle waited outside with Alex while Nicky went. Then, Alex went in and  
Nicky stood with Michelle. She was quietly thankful for their good behavior so far.  
They normally behaved and listened well. However, she'd been told every child  
went through ornery spells. One had begun a couple days ago with the boys.  
Michelle knew it was important to distract her cousins. That would keep them from  
having most bad ideas. However, it couldn't prevent all of them. If this were a day  
like she'd had once, she would have to start making some tough decisions. After all,  
she'd spent practically the whole afternoon in the corner one day. She pushed every  
limit to the max..  
Michelle remembered how much her cousins begged for some presents. The boys  
could be very demanding. They tried very hard to get their way at times. They had  
behaved extra well in the weeks before Christmas to get those. Her dad had explained  
they were probably letting off a little steam this week.  
Most of their bad behavior lately had come from curiosity. They tested things to  
see what happened. They wouldn't ask anyone. They'd wondered what would happen  
to her dad's new vacuum if it "ate" a bunch of Legos. So, they stuffed it with them.   
If they'd just asked, someone would have explained to them. Then, they probably  
wouldn't have done it.  
Michelle hoped the boys would behave. However, soon Alex told Nicky to enter  
the bathroom with him. When she heard something open, Michelle knew there could  
be trouble.  
  
  
  
  
CHAPTER THREE  
Michelle breathed a small sigh of relief. She worried about the medicine cabinet.   
Instead, the twins had opened a drawer of soaps and shampoos. They had taken out six  
little bars of soap.  
That was the good news. The bad news was these bars were in the toilet.  
Nicky shouted, surprised. "Michelle, you aren't allowed in here."  
"Yeah, our turn," proclaimed Alex. He tried to shove the girl out the bathroom  
door.  
Michelle held her ground. She gently moved Alex aside. "No, Nicky," uttered  
Michelle as he grabbed another bar. "That doesn't go...what are you doing with  
those bars in the toilet?"  
"We were gonna flush em to see how it goes down," explained Nicky.  
"That's a no-no," proclaimed Michelle. She stood in front of the toilet so they  
wouldn't flush it. "We only put toilet paper and..." She felt her face becoming a  
little warm. "Well...number one and number two in the toilet."  
"Why," both asked.  
"Because the pipes are really tiny that come from the toilet," she explained. She  
held her thumb and forefinger half an inch apart. While she didn't know a lot about  
toilets, she could invent something. It sounded right, anyway. "Anything that goes  
down there that isn't toilet paper or...you know what could get stuck. Then you would  
be sitting still here while someone used a plunger to get it out. And, that would take a  
long time." "Because it wouldn't be me."  
"Like five minutes," Alex asked.  
"A lot longer. And you'd be in big trouble. We'd have to call a plumber, and he  
would charge lots of money. Plus, the toilet would be broken."  
"Wow, that's bad. We couldn't go potty," Nicky replied.  
Alex shook his head. "Yeah, we shouldn't do that."  
Both boys helped Michelle take the soap out of the toilet. All washed their hands.   
"At least they understood about the toilet being broken. I knew I'd come up with  
something." Michelle asked the boys to find one of their new games while she wiped  
off the soap.  
"What do you clean soap with," inquired Nicky.  
Michelle stifled her giggles with her hand. She said she'd think of something. As  
they left, Michelle praised herself for intercepting that problem. She'd prevented  
trouble in the past. However, others had been in the house. Now she had done it with  
nobody to back her up.  
"Still," she said to Comet, "they've been a bit ornery today. I hope this isn't  
the calm before the storm."  
A while later, the three went downstairs. "We're bored," proclaimed Alex.  
"Yeah," Nicky said wearily. "What can we do?"  
"You could learn to play hide and seek without jumping out and yelling over  
here' whenever I walk in the room," noted the schoolgirl.  
"But we wanted you to find us," the boys remarked.  
Michelle mulled it over. "Look, let's try it once more. This time, don't let me  
know where you are." She covered her eyes and counted to twenty. She walked  
through the house for a while, then entered the attic bathroom. When she got there,  
she noticed an enormous bulge in the shower curtain. Two pairs of shoes stuck out of  
it. She nearly busted a gut laughing. "I can't believe they think they're hidden."  
After she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes, she uncovered her cousins. "How'd  
you know we were here," Nicky wanted to know.  
"I just knew. Come on. Let's play another of your new games," Michelle  
suggested.  
"No, we've played with all of em," Alex spoke in a bored voice.  
"This is nuts. I've given them enough ideas. One should work." She decided it  
was time to call Stephanie and have her sister relieve her. "I probably should have  
done that before now. But, I've proven my point. I can be responsible like an adult."  
"Did you eat any at the Griffith's," Michelle wanted to know.  
Alex asked "did we eat any what?"  
"Food, silly."  
"No," Nicky remarked. "We only wanted snacks and she knew we couldn't  
have any."  
"Why didn't you tell me you were hungry," came the girl's slightly annoyed  
comment.  
"You didn't ask," Alex asserted.  
"Well, I'm going to fix you each a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. How does  
that sound?" The twins said it sounded good. They followed her to the kitchen.  
Michelle made the sandwiches while speaking. "You eat, while I make phone  
calls."  
Michelle tried Stephanie at Darcy's. She learned that they'd gone to Sara Pfister's.   
She phoned the Pfisters, but learned the girls had gone to the mall with Sara's older  
brother Luke. They had left before Michelle came home.  
Michelle requested that Stephanie call home the moment she got back. "I won't  
let anyone know I'm alone unless I have to. That's what Dad always said."  
She could have told the lady. Michelle and her family knew the Pfisters well.   
Stephanie and Sara took ballet together. When they made it, her family saw the  
Pfisters in church. Still, Michelle didn't want to tell her anything. Besides, things  
were going well.  
"I can handle this, I just need some ideas. There's more to this than I thought."  
Her next phone call was to Joey's motel room. "Uncle Joey," she remarked  
once he picked up the receiver. "It's me, Michelle."  
"Michelle, you timed that perfectly. I just brought in the last of my luggage. The  
puppets are jabbering like crazy." She chuckled as the comedian impersonated a  
bunch of voices. All the voices babbled at once. He then pretended to ask his puppets  
for quiet.  
"I wish you'd left a few puppets here; we could use them." She explained what  
had happened. She admitted that she'd run out of things to do. "Joey's a pro. He'll  
definitely know on how to entertain two four-year-olds."  
"Michelle, you're doing what I've done many times when I've had problems.   
You're trying too hard," Joey said.  
"Too hard? Really?" Her dad had said it was harder than it looked. Of course,  
maybe he was only talking about real problems. None of those would occur here.  
"You bet. See, when I got into comedy, I had lots of trouble. But, then I turned  
to what came naturally. And, the most natural comedians are kids. You have  
imagination."  
He paused. Michelle pondered his words. "That's true. But, how do I use  
that?"  
"A lot of times I just have a small outline. I let my mind go naturally. Trying to  
plan everything is sometimes the worst thing. Nicky and Alex need structure. They  
need boundaries. But they also need to just be silly sometimes. Like the hide and  
seek. You might not like to play like that. But, you can turn what they're doing into  
something funny. Make it a joke."  
Michelle smiled. "He's right. I am trying too hard to think of things. It  
wouldn't hurt to just make up a game. And, maybe we could make up a game and tape  
it."  
"Hey, thanks a lot, Uncle Joey," she said as she turned around. Nicky and Alex  
had disappeared. "They ate awfully fast." "I knew I could count on you."  
"Anytime. I gotta get to the studio now, but call Stephanie. She'll come soon."  
Michelle thanked him again, then hung up the phone. She'd tried to be too much  
like a mom. However, she knew nothing about what having a mother was like, let  
alone being one. For all she knew, moms created fun just like Joey suggested.  
Michelle jogged into the living room. She saw her cousins. "You guys sure did  
eat fast. You must have been really hungry."  
Michelle grabbed the video camera and a blank tape from the cabinet by the TV.   
"Why do they look guilty", she wondered. She stared at the twins for a second.  
Nicky said "you hafta press eject. It should come out easy."  
Her eyes narrowed. She didn't like the sound of that. However, she didn't want to  
suspect them of being naughty too quickly. "Oh. Is there a tape in here," she asked  
casually.  
The girl pressed the button. Instead of a tape, many gooey, sticky, brown and red  
blobs emerged. "Ewwww, gross, what in the..." She was afraid to touch them for  
a moment. Then, she realized what the substance was. It was the remainder of a  
peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  
  
CHAPTER FOUR  
Michelle glared right through the boys. She held up the video camera. Peanut  
butter and jelly globs dripped from it. She cried out "look at this, it's ruined!"  
"Does that mean the VCR's busted, too," Alex wondered, looking at his shoes.  
"Did you put another half a sandwich in the VCR?!"  
"You shouldn't have said that," Nicky told his brother. "She didn't know about  
it."  
"I would have when we tried to watch home movies," Michelle exclaimed.  
"Sorry, Michelle." Nicky whined remorsefully. "We thought it would eject  
them."  
Alex admitted he'd done it, too. "We were saving them for later."  
Michelle felt totally unsure of what to say. Without thinking, she blurted out what  
she felt. "Well, now you have no sandwiches. We can't watch any tapes for I don't  
know how long. You are in big trouble, Misters. So, if you've done anything else  
naughty since I left you two minutes ago, tell me now. So I can be more lenient when  
I punish you."  
"I can't believe I said that," pondered Michelle. She winced. "I don't want to  
punish anyone. I can't stand losing privileges myself. I know they wouldn't want it."  
And yet, she supposed it was necessary to discipline them. She wanted to show she  
could be in charge. They needed to learn what they'd done was wrong.  
"Why are you gonna punish us," Nicky whimpered.  
Alex continued for his brother. "I thought we were friends."  
"They don't seem to understand I'm the boss." She wanted badly to make the  
best decision. But, how would she know what to do? How did parents make these  
choices?  
Michelle hoped they wouldn't be grounded. She wanted so badly for them to be  
able to attend the carnival. They'd talked for weeks about the circus acts and rides.   
There was even a rodeo planned for tomorrow evening. They'd played horsey with  
family members for hours. They acted out what they hoped would be the highlight of  
the weekend.  
"They might be grounded if I call their parents. Unless I invent a punishment.   
Then, I could just ask what they would do," she thought. "It's a spur of the moment  
decision. Maybe this is normal for a parent. I know one thing. I'm not going to let  
them miss that carnival."  
"You broke the rules. You destroyed something by doing that. We probably  
won't get these fixed for at least a week." She decided she'd take their TV privileges  
away. However, she didn't tell them that.  
Nicky was sad at being yelled at. He thought out loud. "How come you're so  
bossy now?"  
Michelle said that she would call their parents. "If you don't want me as boss,  
we'll see what they say." "Then, they won't question it. Plus, I still get credit for  
being in charge." She still wanted to decide what to do. She instructed Nicky to pick  
up the phone in the kitchen. She would call on the living room one.  
"This takes effort," considered Michelle as she waited for an answer. "A lot  
more than I ever thought it could. Even if I make quick decisions, I wonder if they're  
the right ones."  
Her Uncle Jesse answered. Michelle quickly explained the scheduling mixup. She  
heard Jesse telling her Aunt Becky. Becky snuggled beside Jesse. Now, both could  
hear Michelle talk.  
"Are they all right? What's going on there," Becky asked speedily.  
Michelle didn't want Jesse and Becky being scared for them. Jesse sounded a little  
concerned already. He tried to hide it, but she could tell by his voice. The two had a  
very close relationship. They confided a lot in each other. "How are the boys," he  
asked.  
"Well..." How would she describe it? She really just wanted him to explain the  
rules. She asked Nicky to pick up the kitchen phone. He did. "They're...a little  
ornery. I was hoping you could talk to them. Here they are."  
She heard Nicky's "hi, Daddy. She handed her phone to Alex, who also said  
"hello."  
Michelle listened with Alex. She caught bits of her Uncle Jesse's and Aunt Becky's  
talk. They directed their children to obey the rules. They told Nicky and Alex  
Michelle had authority over them until someone older came. The twins accepted this.  
"Can she punish us," Alex wondered. Michelle hoped he wouldn't reveal what  
they'd done.  
Their parents assumed the query meant a timeout. "Yes. If she does you have to  
obey," they said. Jesse and Becky excitedly reminded their boys of the carnival.  
Nicky walked back into the living room. Michelle gave the boys a little squeeze.   
She ordered them to their room in a whisper, so Jesse and Becky couldn't hear. She  
told them to think about how they wrecked the VCR and camera. They ran upstairs.  
Michelle picked up her line. She thanked her Uncle Jesse. "Now, let's pretend  
that sandwiches were put in a VCR and a video camera. Just for pretend." "And  
please don't say you would ground them for the weekend." She couldn't stand to  
break that kind of news to someone. She didn't even like the thought of disciplining at  
all.  
Becky spoke decisively. "They would need a very logical consequence for that."  
"What does that mean", Michelle asked herself.  
"They haven't done that, have they," Jesse wondered. Before his niece could  
answer, Jesse sighed. "This is just so weird. I can't believe what's going on here."  
"You're not the only one." "Well..." What do I say now? I don't want to  
lie. But, I don't want my cousins to think I'm mean. "I mean, as an example.   
Should I just do what I think is best?"  
"We'd talk about it," Jesse remarked. "We'd want input, being the parents.   
That's why I'd tell your dad and let him handle it with you."  
That wasn't what she wanted to hear. She wondered what would upset her cousins  
more. If she delivered punishments from their parents? Or, if she punished them  
herself? After all, she and her uncle had a very close, friendly relationship. Jesse told  
her dad right away when she'd done something wrong once. And, Michelle had been  
very upset with being grounded.  
Luckily, her Aunt Becky's next comment relieved her. "Children our boys' ages  
should never have to wait long. They see time differently. It won't have the effect it  
should if you wait hours. Let alone till tomorrow. They would need a timeout, at  
least. If you didn't make them sit in chairs I could see it. You have two to handle.   
But, they should be in their room."  
Jesse spoke solemnly. "Listen, munchkin, you and I go back a long way." She  
agreed. She loved his pet name for her. "We've had lots of talks about what's right  
and what's wrong. I don't like what's happened. But, now we have to work with what  
we've got." He paused. "I can count on you to do what we would do. Can't I?"  
"Yes, as long as you don't keep them from the carnival," she considered.  
He told her they would fly back quickly. "If you made a decision before then,  
we'd honor it. Just like with Danny's or Joey's. I know you. And, I can't see you  
disciplining them way more or less than what's deserved."  
Michelle jumped excitedly. "So, they can still go...I mean, I wouldn't have to  
say they can't go to the carnival if that happened."  
Becky responded. "A week without videos or tapes is a logical consequence.   
Plus, a few days without TV. No cartoons or anything," She tried to explain her  
term in simple language. "It's entertainment that they've ruined."  
Michelle blurted before realizing it. "Great. That's just what I was going to  
say..." She sighed. How could she have given that away?  
Jesse asked if they'd done that.  
She decided she'd better admit it now. "Yeah," she spoke guiltily. "I just  
didn't want them to be upset if you said they couldn't go to the carnival."  
"Michelle, we reminded them of that," Jesse reported. "It is an option if  
they're really naughty. But, we need to know these things. Then, we can talk to them.   
They might then behave without us doing that. They're at the age when they'll really  
test you," her uncle explained.  
Becky spoke abruptly. "When did Danny call?" Michelle didn't recall. But,  
she thought the message was from about ten. "Honey, do you know how long it takes  
to fly from there?" She didn't. "It'll be at least an hour till he's home. We'll try to  
get back right now."  
"Oh...but Stephanie will be home from shopping any minute. You talked to  
them. They'll behave from now on." "At least, they'd better."  
She could hear her aunt and uncle. They talked in the background.   
"Look...you're right. They'll be good, I'm sure," Becky announced. "We still  
want to come, just in case. The weather could keep your dad cooped up all day. We  
don't want anyone babysitting overnight."  
"I still feel funny giving you this speech, munchkin. But, you know where all the  
emergency numbers are? And the first aid stuff? You know how to use them?"  
Michelle nodded. She recited a laundry list of things. Including the locations of  
fire extinguishers. "Poison Control, police, fire, ambulance by every phone. I know  
911 by heart. It wouldn't be Dad's house without all these precautions." She was  
glad to hear her uncle chuckle. Her dad believed strongly in keeping things very  
secure. He made sure his children always acted with safety in mind.  
Jesse suggested she find a babysitter. "I know your dad says not to tell anyone  
you're alone. But, you wouldn't be asking for one for yourself. You'd be hiring one  
for the twins under our orders. Just tell the sitter we said to come. And your dad or  
Stephanie will pay them." Michelle liked the idea.  
Michelle thanked them. She was elated. Her cousins could still go to the carnival.   
Not only that, but they understood she had complete control.  
"Now, to find Nicky and Alex. It's more work than I ever imagined," she  
pondered. Michelle felt even more comfortable with her idea for punishment. It was  
close to her Uncle Jesse's and Aunt Becky's. Maybe she could make rules. She closed  
her eyes and started up the steps.  
She opened them just in time. Her dad's bowling ball bounded rapidly toward her!  
  
CHAPTER FIVE  
The large, heavy sphere rumbled down the steps. She held onto the railing. She  
pressed her stomach against it. The ball struck her in the back of the leg. "Ouch."   
She noticed her cousins at the top of the steps. She shot them a pained expression.  
The four-year-olds' laughs quickly ceased as Michelle stared. Her gaze said  
"how could you do that?" She winced while rubbing her leg for a second. "That  
was not funny!"  
"We just wanted to see how it rolled," Alex explained. Both apologized.  
Michelle was quite upset that the ball hit her. Michelle cried out to them. "I am  
not a bowling pin! I could have been badly hurt!" She was walking normally again.   
She breathed deeply, and forced herself to remain calm. She could tell they were a  
little upset, too.  
"It's okay, Michelle," Nicky said defensively. "We learned how to call 9-1-1."  
"I'm glad you did," she spoke. Her voice held a hint of anger. Her leg still  
smarted a little as she reached the top of the stairs.  
Then, she recalled where Nicky and Alex were supposed to be. She growled. That  
was usually as mad as she got. She disliked yelling. She didn't want to do it any  
more.  
Michelle spoke calmly but firmly. She slightly raised her voice. "Look, I'm  
sorry I yelled. But, what you did was very dangerous. Not only that, but you were  
sent to your room. What did your parents just say about my rules?"  
"We had to listen," Alex said remorsefully.  
"How come you called them? So they could punish us," Nicky asked her.  
Her cousins thought she was delivering a message. She surprised them. "No.   
You'd rather your buddy Michelle punish you, right?" They nodded quickly.   
"Someone could get hurt very badly, or something could get broken, if you send a  
ball down the steps again. No more balls going down the steps. Especially no bowling  
balls." They agreed to obey.  
She hoped she could find a way to be friendly. She hated screaming. She was glad  
her dad almost never screamed like she'd done.  
However, she still had two things to tell them. The consequences of damaging the  
video equipment. And, the consequences of not going to their room. She thought  
about how hard it was to handle a kid. Especially when they had a bad attitude.  
Michelle sighed. "Your parents agree. You wrecked the VCR and video camera.   
So, you can watch no videos for a week! Plus, no television for three days. Now, you  
know that when you are sent to your room you must go." They nodded sadly. They  
faced the ground.  
Nicky and Alex gazed up with their eyeballs. "You did not go to your rooms.   
You did something that hurt someone instead. Because of that, you must stay inside  
the rest of the day." It was getting later, and chillier. Still, she didn't like doing this.  
The twins weren't sure how to react. She didn't sound angry. However, she  
forbade them from going outside. "Are you mad at us," Alex wondered somberly.  
Michelle hugged them. She flashed back to times when she'd been disciplined.   
"Guys, I love you very much. I will always love you. But, right now, I have to help  
you behave."  
Michelle smiled sadly. She led the twins into the bathroom. Their faces still had  
jelly on them. I'm sounding more like Dad all the time.  
  
CHAPTER SIX  
Michelle tried to wipe her cousins' faces. They splashed her with the water. "I'm  
getting wetter than they will," thought Michelle. The washcloth hit her in the face.  
She'd been quite rebellious one day. It was just before she turned four. She didn't  
recall the specifics. All she knew was that she tested rules a lot. She spent much of  
one afternoon in a chair against the wall.  
She finally accepted that her dad and the others were to be obeyed, though. They  
were in charge. They were trying to help her. She didn't need many timeouts after  
that. She'd learned her lesson. She'd obeyed much of the time.  
"Is today like that day was? Can I help them learn?" Michelle hoped so.   
Especially because she wanted to avoid thinking about the carnival.  
She finished wiping their faces. Water dripped off Michelle's face and hands.   
"You don't really want old, sticky food on your faces, do you?"  
"We don't mind," countered Nicky. He then looked at Alex. "Hey, wait.   
You're clean."  
"You are too."  
"Finally, I win one," Michelle considered. She and the boys left the bathroom.   
"I knew by the time you got done complaining, and splashing me, I'd have you  
washed."  
"It won't get any worse, will it?" She walked down the front stairs. She reached  
the landing. Then, Michelle tripped and fell over the bowling ball.  
Comet ran over. He licked her forehead. "It's okay, Comet. I'm all right," she  
muttered. She was frustrated, but unhurt. She kept her sense of humor. "Just say  
hello' to Michelle E. Coyote." "The Roadrunner would be easier to stop than these  
clowns."  
She grunted slightly and lofted the ball onto the couch. Michelle picked up the  
phone on its first ring. She would have let the answering machine get it. But, she was  
expecting calls.  
"Hey, Michelle," remarked Jesse. "Did Stephanie show up yet?"  
"Not yet," she admitted. Had she found any sitters? "I didn't have time to call  
anyone. I had to find the boys and talk to them." She didn't want their parents  
madder. She only said "it's all under control." "For now, anyway. But, what will  
happen while I'm on the phone this time?"  
"Okay, we tried a couple friends. But, nobody's home. We left messages.   
There's a flight leaving in a little bit. It has some empty seats. Don't hold supper for  
us, though," he kidded her.  
"Yeah, right, like I'm cooking. You know me. I'll order pizza." She thanked  
him and hung up. She suddenly didn't know if she wanted to hold out a lot longer.  
Behind her, toilet paper wound its way though the living room unnoticed.  
She glanced at a picture of the family. Pam was in it. "How would Mom handle  
things?"  
The others talked about Pam living on in their hearts. But, for her, it was very  
different. She knew her mother was in Heaven. But, she sorely wished she had  
memories of her on Earth. "I need to meet someone before they can live in my  
heart."  
Michelle inhaled deeply. She turned toward Comet. "Oh, well, I need to stop  
feeling bad. They need me to find a sitter. And, to keep them from turning the house  
into a bowling al-"  
The twins had draped toilet paper all around. They went from upstairs down  
through the kitchen. The toilet paper stretched through the living room. She finally  
caught it out of the corner of her eye. "What in the world?" The twins were  
starting up the steps  
"Excuse me," Michelle said. "An elephant wouldn't need that much toilet  
paper."  
"How much does an elephant need," wondered Nicky.  
"I don't know. But, here's what's important. You and I are going to roll all that  
back up. Just like it's supposed to be."  
The schoolgirl grinned. They were naughty. But, I didn't show a huge reaction.   
I'm making progress." They went into the bathroom. The three messily rolled up the  
toilet paper.  
"Now, go make up a game. I need to straighten this." They left while Michelle  
tidied things.  
She heard small voices coming from her and Stephanie's room. She presumed they  
were jumping on beds. It wasn't totally safe. But, it was better than it could be.  
She entered her bedroom. They were jumping on Stephanie's bed. Books flew  
everywhere. Stephanie's Teen Trends magazines soared, while each child tried to catch  
them. "This is fun," Alex said.  
The baffled girl studied the mess. "Uh, boys...what are you doing?" Michelle  
hoped Stephanie wouldn't be too mad. She might blame Michelle for letting them  
mess up her magazines. Any bookmarks were long gone.  
"Juggling," Alex said quickly.  
"With magazines? Stephanie's going to be mad at you." "She doesn't even like  
me reading her magazines. She will really dislike this."  
"You said find something good to do," Nicky said. "So we did."  
"That you did. I'm proud of you." Michelle flashed her biggest grin. She  
wanted to earn respect. She was quickly learning that being nice was crucial. She was  
glad to see her cousins were behaving.  
At the same time, she wondered what she'd gotten herself into. Why had she  
wanted responsibility? It still didn't seem that bad. But, it was awfully hard. "Is  
parenting like this every day? I can't leave these kids alone long enough to call for  
help."  
"We wanna juggle. Just like at the carnival," Nicky declared.  
"That's fine. But Stephanie's magazines are a big mess. Let's put them in a neat  
pile." They left. "Okay, don't, then. Just find something good to juggle while I  
straighten these."  
Michelle reached down to pick up the scattered books. She saw a worn, brown  
stuffed bear in a detective's outfit. It had on a trenchcoat, hat, scarf, and glasses. It's  
name was Mr. Bear. Stephanie received it from their mother when Michelle was born.   
That was only a few months before their mom died. Stephanie talked to him about  
many things as a preteen.  
The three had moved Mr. Bear earlier. Michelle sat the stuffed animal beside her  
now. She straightened and sorted the magazines.  
"Those kids are really being naughty. Huh, Mr. Bear." Michelle paused.   
Either talking things out with someone else was the key, or Mr. Bear really was  
answering. She imagined it being the second. She still had enough imagination.  
"You're right. I said they had to clean up. But, I didn't make them listen. I  
hope that doesn't come back to haunt me." Now, she worried she was being too nice.  
"Yeah, I know, Mr. Bear. They don't mean to be mean." She sighed. She  
straightened the last of them. Now she wanted to sort them and notice any formerly  
dog-eared pages. "They haven't been, really. It's just so hard when there's two of  
them. Like playing horsey. I can't fit two on my back like Uncle Jesse can. And they  
always want to play together."  
She folded down several corners and nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea; separate  
them. I never thought of that. It's so hard to think of stuff."  
She chuckled only slightly at the thought of talking to a stuffed animal. "You  
were so good with Steph when Mom died. You were always there for her. Do you  
have any ideas?"  
She watched the bear for a second. It seemed to have none.  
"That's okay. It's so hard for me. I don't know what a Mom would do. I can't  
keep coming up with good ideas. So they use the bad ones."  
She smiled. "You're right, Mr. Bear. Except for the sandwiches, they haven't  
been destructive. I was just upset at being hurt with that bowling ball. But while  
they're not destructive, they're ornery. They're getting like I was that one day."  
She considered her mother. Her mother must have known what to do. She'd heard  
lots of nice stories about her. "I could play if an adult were here. They'd know what  
to do. Especially Mom. I sure wish Mom was here."  
Her frown disappeared. She laughed. Somehow, Stephanie's old, faithful animal  
was coming through for her. "I bet you've heard that from Stephanie a million times,  
Mr. Bear. Well, thanks. I guess I'll go see what they're juggling now." She hugged  
the bear. Michelle hoped to remember to thank Stephanie, too. She really appreciated  
"Mr. Bear's" help.  
She walked into the kitchen using the back staircase. Suddenly, Alex cried "look  
out, Michelle!"  
  
CHAPTER SEVEN  
Michelle looked up just in time. A spoon fell toward her head.  
She stepped aside quickly. She tried to catch it. Somehow, she snagged it after it  
bounced in her hands.  
Two dozen spoons were piled around the boys. They had been trying to juggle  
them.  
"Cool catch," shouted Nicky. "Here, catch these!" Suddenly, Nicky and  
Alex flung half a dozen spoons each at her. Most of them came from the floor.  
"Wait! Stop!" The twins halted as spoons zoomed around her. Her face held  
great shock. "Why are you throwing spoons?!"  
"Because Daddy says never play with forks and knives," Alex explained slowly.  
His brother agreed. "Yeah, they're not toys."  
Michelle gawked at the children, then at the spoons again. She felt like she was in  
a Dennis the Menace cartoon. The children weren't being destructive. They were just  
on the wrong side of the border. The border between silly and naughty.  
This was the perfect time to suggest something positive. Michelle also followed  
"Mr. Bear's" advice.   
"Listen, you two. There are plenty of things to juggle in this house. Pillows,  
stuffed animals; you've got tons of stuffed animals."  
"They do it with sticks," explained Nicky.  
"Yeah," added his brother. "But we never do that."  
Nicky nodded quickly. "They're experts."  
"Great! Some lesson are sinking in to them." "Look, when you come down we  
can juggle all our stuffed animals. But now, you are just making messes. First with  
Stephanie's magazines. Now, with these. Not only that, but we do not throw things at  
other people. Nicky, you go to my room for a timeout. Alex, you go to D.J.'s  
room."  
"Do we have to," whined the twins.  
"Yes. You know you do. You need to settle down." They gave her incredibly  
sad, begging looks. "I mean it." She placed her hands on her hips.  
They slowly went upstairs. Michelle picked up the spoons. She was upset about  
sending them to different rooms. They were always together. "It must be hard to be  
a parent."  
She sniffled. Maybe this would work. But, how long would she keep them there?   
Timeouts weren't used that often. Usually, parents just removed privileges in their  
house.  
Hers were ten minutes long. However, ten might be too long for her cousins.   
Michelle sat at the table and thought. Comet walked into the living room. She knew  
making them wait too long could be a problem. "Here I am second guessing myself  
again," she told herself.  
She called her friend Cassie Wilkins. She could hire Mrs. Wilkins to babysit the  
twins. Then, Cassie could come over, too. Plus, she would learn how long to keep  
the twins in timeout. Everything would be taken care of at once!  
She frowned. The Wilkins' answering machine picked up the phone. She left a  
message. The Wilkins' were to call right away. She did the same with Allie and  
Darcy. They were Stephanie's best friends. "I should have known this sounded too  
easy."  
Michelle's other best friend, Mandy Metz, was with her family in New Jersey. So,  
neither Mandy's mother nor older sisters nor grandmother could come. Michelle's  
grandparents were on vacation, too.  
The phone rang. She snatched the receiver. She wished it would be her dad.   
Maybe she should call the airport. They could tell her when he'd land.  
Allie's mother answered. Michelle explained the situation.  
Mrs. Taylor was shocked. "Your dad lets you babysit by yourself."  
"Well, he didn't mean to let me." "Boy, that sounds crazy. Then again, this  
whole day has been crazy."  
Allie's mom chuckled. "Allie's out with Stephanie. I'd come babysit myself.   
But, I've got to go stay with my uncle in a couple minutes. He's had lots of health  
problems. We're taking turns caring for him."  
"I'm sorry to hear that." Michelle asked about timeout length. "I just have no  
idea what I'm doing here."  
"You will. It just takes time to develop," Mrs. Taylor assured her. "My  
mother told me something once. Experience is something you get just after you need  
it."  
"Time to develop? I'll give it thirty seconds," Michelle told herself. She noticed  
the dog. Comet was dragging a dirty shirt into the kitchen. The floor was getting  
messy.  
"I'll leave a message for Stephanie to call you if they come back...."  
"Wait. Comet, drop it!" The dog obeyed. "Sorry, Mrs. Taylor. Thanks.   
I've got to go. Whenever I get on the phone, things get worse today." She hung up,  
and hoped someone would be home soon.  
"Comet, where did you get that?" She walked into the living room. A pile of  
Joey's laundry laid there. A small trail of dirt led to the plant by the front door.   
"The boys juggled these before going into the kitchen. Good thing I made to settle."  
She instructed Comet to follow her upstairs. She went into her room and hugged  
Nicky. Her cousin was laying on Michelle's bed. He was face down, frowning. She  
couldn't believe how easy it was to imagine herself as the child in timeout. "It's  
okay, Nicky. I love you."  
"I'm sorry for that mess," came the whimpering voice.  
"I know. Let's go see Alex." They walked, hand in hand, to D.J.'s room.   
Once there, Nicky tried to break free. "Sorry. He needs a hug from me first." She  
embraced Alex. "I love you."  
"We was bad," Alex remarked. All three sat on D.J.'s bed.  
"You were pretty wild down there, huh?" They nodded. "I wish I hadn't had  
to do that. But, you need to control yourselves. I sent you here so you could settle."  
Alex smiled warmly at her. "You sound like a Mommy."  
"We oughta call you Mommy Michelle' for now," Nicky said. His voice held  
lots of love.  
"I feel like one." "Thanks, guys." She looked at each. She had to admit she  
didn't have all the answers. But, she could give it a very good try. "I'm glad you  
understand I'm the one making the rules. And it's hard. It's very hard for me. But,  
I'm doing my best."  
"They'll never know how hard this is. I've taken privileges away. I've yelled. If I  
wanted to play I couldn't. I can't even ve on the phone for two seconds. What else  
can happen today?"  
She hugged her cousins. They went downstairs. She had them help her get the  
clothes into a pile. She told them to grab a laundry basket. At first, they played with  
Comet instead.  
The dog normally didn't grab household things. However, Joey had given him a  
bath. One of Joey's shirts had lots of the dog's scent. Comet seized it. The twins  
chased him behind the Christmas tree.  
"Comet, no," Michelle shouted too late. The dog bumped the tree. It crashed to  
the ground.  
"Your turn in timeout," shouted Nicky. Comet backed into the corner, his head  
low.  
Michelle instructed the dog to stay. He did. She grabbed the shirt. This time,  
Nicky and Alex quickly brought a basket. She filled it and carried it to the washer.   
The boys ran elsewhere.  
Michelle walked into the living room. She looked at Comet. She placed her hands  
on her hips. "I am not doing laundry. If I got distracted with that, they'd probably  
flood the house. That's the way this day has gone."  
"Speaking of going, where are they," she asked herself as she swept up the dirt.   
She called for them. But, they didn't answer. "Ah, nuts. Now what," she  
wondered aloud.  
She first thought they were juggling something. However, a search turned up  
nothing.  
Could they be playing hide and seek? Probably not. They weren't in any closets.   
Besides, they wouldn't stay hidden earlier.  
Michelle allowed Comet up. She asked him to help. They jogged through each  
room. No Nicky, no Alex. Then, she noticed that a closet door was opened. The  
boys' hats and coats were missing.  
She ran to the kitchen, and looked out the window. Nicky and Alex were outside  
riding their tricycles. "They're in big trouble, Mister," she informed Comet. She  
wished she knew what that meant.  
  
CHAPTER EIGHT  
The phone rang. She decided to answer it. Maybe someone could tell her how to  
handle this. She understood what her dad said about all the distractions at a place like  
the mall, or the park. She knew she should march outside. But, what would she say?  
Joey was on the other line. He'd called before he began his performance. He  
wanted to ensure everyone was all right. "I phoned the airport for you. Your dad's  
flight will land any minute. It might have even landed. Did you hear from him?"  
"No, but listen. I'm glad you called. Nicky and Alex just went outside to ride  
their tricycles. But, they can't play outside. They know that!" She didn't say she'd  
grounded them.  
Joey tried to calm her. "Look, Michelle. I can tell you're mad. But, we're not  
dealing with an older kid. They're only four. At that age, they can't always remember  
a punishment's there. They have a hard time relating to time. So they need a gentle  
reminder. Especially if there have been distractions. Have there?"  
"Where do I begin?" "Yeah. So what am I supposed to do?"  
Shock filled Joey's voice. "You?! Stephanie's not even back?!"  
Michelle rolled her eyes. "I wish!" "No, Uncle Joey, I'm still the one. Uncle  
Jesse and Aunt Becky are flying home now. I won't have to put them to bed tonight,"  
she teased him.  
"Good. You've kept your sense of humor." Joey explained what she should do.   
"Gently remind them they were grounded. I remember when D.J. would put you in  
your room when she babysat, and she had to hold the door closed. You came out of it  
to test her. You had to learn you would be made to stay there. After a couple times of  
that, by the time your dad started sending you, you knew your limit.  
"But, privileges are different. A couple times, you watched TV out of habit, for  
instance. We just calmly told you it wasn't allowed, and why. Then, you obeyed.   
So, walk them inside. If they don't obey right away, you need to be firm."  
"Again, many more questions come with the answers. Is it always this  
complicated alone anywhere? Does Dad always have it this hard raising us?   
Probably."  
Michelle wasn't sure what "be firm" meant. "Meaning what?"  
"Well, you must have talked to Jesse. What did he say?"  
She tried to recall. She could have written a book with all the advice she'd gotten.   
It swirled in her head. But, all that knowledge wasn't helping. She needed to know  
how to use it. And, she didn't.  
She shrugged. "They'll go along with what I do if it's not too much or too  
little."  
"Well, all I can say is, good luck.'"  
"I'll need it." "Thanks, anyway, Uncle Joey. I've talked to lots of people."  
Joey told her it was a lot like show business. "All that rehearsing is nothing like  
being on stage, huh?"  
"That's for sure. Oh, well, I've gotten through other problems. I can make it  
through this." She thanked him and hung up the phone.  
She started outside. However, the phone rang again. Uncle Jesse's plane was  
taking off in a few minutes. "They're doing boarding calls. Are the boys okay?"  
"Yeah, but listen." She tried to tell the devoted father what they were doing.  
He had no time. "Look, if you're still in charge, just remember what I said. I  
know you can do it. Gotta go." He hung up.  
Michelle shook her head. "He might know I can do it. But, I don't."  
She stepped coatless into the back yard. With a half grin, she approached them.   
"Nicky, Alex, you're grounded, remember? You can't play outside today. I'm sorry  
about that."  
Her cousins slowly halted their tricycles. Michelle nearly jumped for joy.   
"Great, they're listening." As the three reached the door, the boys apologized.   
"Sorry," said each.  
Suddenly, they got ornery looks in their eyes. They gazed at each other. They  
were egged on by being together. It was two against one. They knew they had to go  
inside. But, they wanted to see what happened. They raced out to their tricycles.   
They pedaled as fast as they could.  
"I should have held their hands. Or not ordered them with the books. Or made  
them listen. Or a million other things." "Hey, get in here. You know you're  
supposed to stay inside," she commanded them. She tried to muster a stern voice. It  
sounded like she was pleading a little.  
"Try and catch us," they shouted joyfully. They rode in large circles.  
"Freeze," ordered Michelle. The twins shocked her by not stopping.  
Her dad had explained it was important for a family to have a one word command.   
A child - or adult - had to stop all movement. This was to prevent a child from  
running into the road, for instance. It could be said in a normal voice sometimes.   
That helped children practice. She'd done that with the cookies. However, it was only  
to be shouted at very important times.  
Michelle hoped that had been crucial enough. It probably was. They were  
blatantly disobeying the rules.  
She stomped outside in a huff. Her eyes contained an angry look. They'd gone  
from being annoying and ornery to being truly disobedient.  
"Come on, catch us," they joked. There was a playful, "I wanna see what you  
do" look in Nicky and Alex's faces. They didn't really want to disobey. They only  
wanted to see what she said. They wouldn't have dared to do this to their parents.  
"At least this shows they know I'm in charge. Now, what do I do with that?"  
Michelle finally caught up to Nicky. She corralled Alex soon after that. She  
squeezed their hands and managed to twist the door handle with one. She kneed the  
door open. Michelle marched her cousins inside. She stood them in front of her, and  
glared at them.  
"I wonder what Mom would do." This was a major test of any parent's ability..  
"Nicholas and Alexander Katsopolis," Michelle lectured. She shook her finger at  
them. "You are in really big trouble, Misters!"  
Alex quivered slightly. "You don't have to tell our mom and dad."  
"Yeah, please," Nicky continued for him. His voice trembled. They were  
concerned about Michelle's angry glare. "You're our friend."  
She scowled. Her hands rested on her hips. "I'm not playing anymore. This  
must be what Uncle Jesse meant about being careful about what I asked for."  
She could find no words. She considered calling their folks. But, they wouldn't be  
there now. Nor would anyone else. "Besides, delivering orders from them would not  
be the same as being in charge. And, they said I had total control."  
Michelle assured her cousins she was the boss. "Your parents told you that. I  
won't call them. I'll decide what happens." She commanded them to march straight  
to their room. She forgot about separating them. "I'll want to talk to both at once."  
Her shouting disturbed the twins. Michelle sounded angrier than she had ever  
been. This was the furious reaction they expected from an adult.  
The boys quivered. They tried to plead with her. "No, we want you to be our  
friend. Not our Mommy," came Nicky.  
"Yeah, let's have fun together. Please," Alex begged. Both began quickly  
saying "please."  
"I can't believe I'm hearing this." "That is a very bad attitude. I'm in charge.   
I have ordered you to your room. You are supposed to go! Or do I have to drag you  
there myself?" She didn't want to drag them. Still, she rolled up her sleeves.  
Michelle had said "you're in big trouble, Mister" for fun. She wanted seem  
more of a boss. Especially when she was a preschooler. At times, it was also to act  
more mature.  
Now, she had no clue what else could be done. And yet, she was the boss.  
Michelle stomped toward them. They finally walked toward the stairs. Michelle  
followed very closely. "Okay, we'll go," said an upset Alex.  
"Yeah. So you'll stop bein' mean to us," his brother yelled back.  
Michelle's scowl turned into a frown. She looked deflated. She hated being called  
mean.  
"And I thought if I was in charge I could make the rules. And, then I'd have so  
much fun. I thought Dad had it so easy. What a rip off." A tear welled up in her  
eye. "Why does this have to be so hard," she whined.  
  
  
  
CHAPTER NINE  
Michelle sat by the phone. She quickly called the airport. Danny's plane was just  
about to land. She didn't want to wait for him. It was better for him to hurry home  
quickly. She knew he would. So, all adults in the household were busy or on the way  
home.  
She dreaded going upstairs unprepared. "I wish I knew what Mom would do.   
Even Steph knew Mom till she was five," she told Comet. The dog sat resting his  
head on her lap.  
She petted him. "Well, I still have one lifeline," she kidded the dog. "Let's  
hope D.J. has the right answer."  
D.J. had just enjoyed a fabulous time with her boyfriend on the ski lift. Since she  
started college, they'd seen their love blossom. They cuddled by the fireplace, sipping  
hot chocolate. D.J. began dreaming of marriage.  
"Telephone for D.J. Tanner," shouted a friend. "It's Michelle."  
D.J. rose with a hint of frustration. She grumbled and took the phone.   
"Michelle, is this really a national emergency? You just ruined a perfectly romantic  
moment."  
"It is around here. Look, everyone's schedule got mixed up. I'm alone with the  
twins. And, they're behaving very poorly."  
"And I'm supposed to do what about that?"  
Michelle rolled her eyes. "Look, they wouldn't go to their room right away. I  
don't know how a mom handles that," she explained. "You knew Mom."  
She fretted a little. "I feel so mean, too. I talked to their parents. Uncle Jesse  
and Aunt Becky told them I was in charge. But, they still think I'm a meanie."  
D.J. sighed. "Michelle, they're at the age when they'll test all the limits. They  
need to know how far they can go. They know you love them. But they need those  
boundaries. You happen to be the one there right now. So, you have to enforce them.   
It's just like my first job babysitting outside the family. I was there when Brian was  
behaving so badly."  
Michelle was ecstatic. "Yes! Here is someone I can copy!" "What did you  
do" sped out of her mouth. "Tell me, so I can do it, too."  
"I couldn't do anything. He learned his lesson when he got his head stuck in the  
bannister. I couldn't get it out," she explained.  
"Puh-leease, D.J.. That is not what I needed to hear right now." "That's all I  
need, for them to get hurt. I feel bad enough as it is."  
Despite all the advice she'd gotten, there were still many problems. But, she hoped  
D.J. would have good advice. She had to have developed some instincts since that first  
time.  
Michelle's sister laughed at her attempt to act authoritative. "Look, Michelle, you  
need to be loving. Explain it's not you being mean. Rules have nothing to do with  
who enforces them. They have everything to do with an absolute right and wrong.   
Yes, they should know to listen when sent to their rooms. We always did. But it's the  
right and wrong we follow. Not a person."  
That helped a little. It was long-winded. But she was used to that. Her dad often  
sounded like that . "It's not just that," Michelle said. "They wouldn't stop when I  
yelled Freeze.' That's something they have to know by four. Don't they? I did."  
She whined slightly. "And, someone else could explain that so much better. Why  
don't you talk to them." The carnival might be gone for her cousins. But, she didn't  
want to think about that. And, she certainly wanted someone else to tell them.  
D.J. spoke compassionately. "It's very hard to be like a parent. And, I know  
this sounds really weird. But, I have less authority than you do right now. You are ten  
years younger. But, you were placed in command. You're the captain of the ship.   
I'm sure their parents didn't expect all this." Michelle didn't think anyone could have  
expected it to get this bad. "Maybe not. But, that's the way it goes."  
She told Michelle she was right. "That's a very bad attitude they have. You and  
Steph were easier to handle. Even when you were your bossiest, it was easier for me  
because I was a teenager already. Be honest with them. Talk to them. Make sure they  
not only hear, but see that you love them. And believe it or not, they might be mad at  
first. But, if they know you love them, and you show it, that won't last long at all."  
Michelle thanked her and hung up. She placed her head in her hands. She  
mumbled as she stood. "I got a little help, I guess." She supposed they would still  
see her as a friend. That didn't make it any easier, though.  
She trudged toward the stairs. "If this keeps up, Comet, I'll have gray hair by the  
time I'm fifteen." The dog slowly followed her.  
Is this what being responsible feels like? No wonder Dad doesn't want me to go to  
the mall on my bike. Or ride to the park alone. There are so many things to consider!   
And it's so hard. So many thoughts run through my mind.  
As she plodded up the steps, she grew progressively sadder. She didn't want to  
discipline anyone. But, Nicky and Alex needed boundaries. "What will I do? And  
will it be enough?"  
She shook her head. Maybe it was time to tell her cousins they couldn't go to the  
carnival. But, they'd waited so long to attend it. "No. I want to put off even  
thinking about that. I want to stall as long as possible."  
Were there other possibilities? She considered a few. But, there were too many  
factors. Her mind boggled. "Just saying you're in big trouble, Mister' is so much  
easier. Then, someone else can define what that means."  
Michelle turned to Comet just before she walked up the last set of steps. She  
bluntly assessed the situation. "I've got to find something to say and do, Comet. But  
if all else fails," she said, trying to sound brave, "I have a hand, and I know how to  
use it."  
She reached the attic apartment. She gasped, shaking her head. She couldn't  
believe she'd even thought...  
She sank slowly to the floor outside their bedroom door. She couldn't imagine  
hurting her cousins. Michelle couldn't believe she'd even thought it! Even with their  
worst behavior, the only time any of the children in their family came close to getting  
spanked was when Stephanie nearly gave Michelle a smack - when Stephanie was about  
the same age as Michelle was right now. That was back when Michelle still had a  
rather brash and rude attitude at times. Indeed, it was a situation similar to this, when  
Stephanie was correcting her in a very stern way for that attitude. But, the twins  
weren't being like that, they were just being ornery, like Dennis the Menace might be.  
"So, why am I thinking of doing that here?" she asked herself. "Probably  
because I'm so desperate to let them go to that carnival." She wiped away tears. She  
wished she could ask her mom for help.  
She sniffled. "I could give them a very light slap. The word would hurt their  
feelings enough." And yet, she didn't even want to hurt their feelings. Besides, her  
mom might have said this isn't bad enough for even that. She probably would come up  
with something else. Wouldn't she?  
On the other hand, how could she tell her cousins they couldn't go. After they'd  
looked forward to for so long?  
"Why did I ever want to be in charge? Why did I ever want to make rules? How  
does Dad, or any other parent, ever do it themselves?" She wept, feeling terribly  
alone.  
  
CHAPTER TEN  
Nicky heard Michelle crying. He peeked his head out the door. "Michelle?   
What's wrong?" Nicky wondered.  
"I guess I don't mind them seeing me cry. It's not like any of my classmates saw  
me."  
She entered the bedroom and gazed at the worried faces. "Seeing me like this may  
help them listen." "Come here, guys."  
They walked over to her. The three embraced. She closed her eyes. She lowered  
her head for a moment. She needed help. Things had gotten so crazy. There were  
dozens of things to consider. This was probably true of even simple adult things. Like  
going to the mall. She certainly couldn't spend her whole time playing. Here, she'd  
had no time for herself at all!  
Michelle spoke sincerely. "I love both of you very much. But we need to talk."  
She instructed them to sit on a bed. She grabbed a chair and sat in front of them.   
Michelle tried hard to sound like a grown-up. "Nicky. Alex. We are going to have  
a very long talk about why we obey the rules. Because your disobedience really hurt  
me today."  
"Is that why you were crying," Alex inquired. He was visibly concerned.  
"Yes," she stated emphatically.  
The twins looked at each other. They were very sad that they'd made Michelle cry.   
They knew they needed to act better. "Okay, we'll be good," Alex said  
remorsefully.  
His brother agreed. "Yeah, we don't want you to cry." Both hung their heads  
in shame.  
Michelle was excited. "They sounded sorry. I sure hope that helps them  
behave."  
Her warm, affectionate smile returned. She told them to look at her. They looked  
with their eyeballs alone. "I want you to behave better for everyone. So they don't  
cry, either." They promised they would. "Now I need to explain something."   
Something she didn't understand until now. "I don't make rules. I never did. They  
come from even higher than your mom and dad."  
"You mean the President," the two asked together.  
"Higher than that. They come from God. They're everywhere. And, your Mom  
and Dad and I and everyone has to obey rules. People make rules for us so we can be  
helped and protected. But it doesn't matter whether it's a normal day with your  
parents. Or a really freaky day like today." She chuckled. Saying it that way  
relieved her a little. At least she could still laugh about things. "No matter what, the  
rules are always there."  
She struggled to think. What else had D.J. suggested? "I love you very much.   
What I'm going to do because you disobeyed so much, I'm only doing because I love  
you. You have had a very bad attitude today. You know that you're supposed to  
listen. And, you haven't."  
"Saying that was easy. It always was. But, what do I do? Dad's right; this is  
really tough. And he can't enjoy this any more than I do. I sure owe him an  
apology." Knowing what to say wouldn't make it any more fun.  
She put off telling Nicky and Alex what would happen. Her dad would be home  
any second. He could tell them. Plus, something very important popped into her  
head.  
"There's something more important right now. I need to explain the freeze'  
command. You disobeying that was the worst thing you did today. Do you know why  
we have it?"  
"Why," Nicky asked. The twins lifted their heads.  
"Because it could save your life. It's good to say it nice for little things. That  
helps you practice for dangerous things. Like when I yelled it today."  
"We weren't doing anything dangerous," Alex told her.  
Michelle leaned closer. If they learned nothing else, she wanted them to learn this.   
"But you could have been and not known it. If you don't stop all your muscles when  
someone yells freeze,' you could die and not be with us anymore. Or, you could lay  
hurting in a hospital for a long time. We would all cry so hard then!"  
"Okay," came the tots as they started to rise.  
Michelle quickly shoved them down on the bed. "Guys, this is important!"  
They plopped back onto the bed. Unfortunately,,she could think of nothing else to  
say. Finally, she held out her pinky fingers. "I want you to pinky swear you'll obey  
whenever anyone says freeze." She didn't know if that sounded like a mom. But,  
she had to make them obey somehow.  
Each boy wrapped a pinky finger around hers. The twins didn't quite understand.   
But they could tell she really meant business. "Okay, pinky swear," said Alex.  
"Pinky swear," came Nicky. The tot quickly asked "what now?"  
"Now, I have to decide your punishment." Boy, that sounds so strange coming  
from me.  
She sighed, lowering her head. She hoped they understood she wasn't being mean.  
"My dad and the others have talked things out with me. They've always just taken  
privileges away. I should do that. I need to honor them. Besides, that's what I would  
want done to me."  
"I love you each very much. I want you to remember that. Just thinking about  
this hurts. Guys, you are not allowed to ride your tricycles for one whole week. Not  
only that, but you have not obeyed or behaved near well enough to go to that carnival  
this weekend." She wept as she hugged Nicky and Alex. "Is this what Dad feels  
like, except he's so big he doesn't cry?"  
"Have mercy," wailed the stunned twins.  
"I want to make sure you understand rules are to be obeyed." Michelle hoped  
their folks let them go to part of it. Still, she didn't know what else to do.  
Her cousins walked downstairs. She slowly followed them. She leaned against the  
wall. "This is, by far, the toughest day of my life." The girl muttered to Comet.   
"Make that gray hair when I'm twelve. By fifteen I'll probably be bald."  
Stephanie and her friends piled out of the car. They carried their purchases into the  
Pfisters' home. So many great things were on sale after Christmas.  
Stephanie heard that she was to phone home immediately. A tinge of worry hit her  
as she dialed.  
Michelle glanced at her watch. Her dad should be home any second. She gazed at  
the downed Christmas tree. The dog stood behind her. "Macaulay Culkin had it  
made in those movies. He never could have handled two four-year-olds."  
She answered the ringing phone. Her frustrated look gave way to relief. She heard  
her sister's voice. "Oh, Steph, finally, it's you. Where have you been?"  
"Michelle, what's going on," Stephanie wondered. "I just got in, and I heard I  
was supposed to call home right away."  
"Steph, Dad's not here. His flight was delayed. Uncle Joey left, and Uncle Jesse  
and Aunt Becky weren't coming back till tomorrow. They still won't be here for a few  
hours."  
"I thought...wait a minute..." The schedules jumbled in her head. Who did that  
leave? "Then that means..."  
"You got it, dude. I'm here alone with Dennis the Menace times two!"  
"Nicky and Alex, too? Okay, look, sit tight, Michelle." Stephanie sounded  
anxious and excited. "I'm gonna have Mrs. Pfister drive me home right now. I'll be  
there in less than thirty minutes. I remember the code, and I have my key."  
"Thanks." She let out a whistle as she hung up the phone. "I never thought I'd  
be happy to see the end of my responsibility." She leaned back for a moment. "I  
know I made mistakes. But the worst part was, I'm the one who made the decisions.   
Those were so rough I couldn't believe it. I don't think I'll ever want to go to the mall  
or the park alone! Even if it's only a tenth this bad."  
She clapped her hands and grinned. "No more worrying now, I can relax." She  
walked toward the kitchen. "Okay, guys. Stephanie's coming to relieve me in..."  
The moment she opened the kitchen door, her eyes nearly bulged out of their  
sockets. Her mouth flung open. Her heart skipped a beat. She screamed.   
"Freeze!"  
  
  
CHAPTER ELEVEN  
Her dad's cleaning cabinet was wide open. The key lay on the floor. The curious  
four-year-olds sat on the counter. A chair was below them. One of the detergents was  
out. She could tell some had spilled. It was held by both tots.  
There was one piece of good news. Nicky and Alex stopped everything. "Drop  
it, you two," came the next command. Nicky and Alex instantly dropped the  
container. It spilled everywhere.  
The boys knew they were in big trouble. "We just wanted some fruit juice,"  
Nicky whined.  
"Having a picture of lemons does not make it fruit juice!" She forgot about  
being kind and gentle. This demanded quick thinking. She just hoped she had some  
brain cells left.  
She ran to the phone. "Did you put any of that in your mouths?" She thought  
she saw some yellow around their lips.  
"Yeah, why," Alex asked her.  
"Whoa, baby. When it rains, it pours!" "How could I ever have left them  
alone?" She was extremely mad at herself. "If anything happens to them, I will  
never forgive myself."  
She quickly realized she had more important things to do. Michelle could be mad  
later. She reminded herself to remain calm. She dialed the number for the Poison  
Control Center. It was taped beside the phone. "Listen. Don't move, don't touch  
anything, and don't swallow," she spoke hurriedly.  
"Are we allowed to breathe," Alex asked.  
She tried to keep her cool. This was almost impossible. Her insides seemed to  
morph into butterflies. Creatures which constantly flapped their wings. Her words  
burst into the phone. "This is Michelle Tanner, 1882 Gerard Street. I need an  
ambulance..."  
"Okay, calm down sweetheart. It's going to be okay," came the soothing voice  
on the other end. "First, tell me what happened."  
Michelle took a deep breath. She fought back tears. "My cousins were just out of  
my sight for a minute. When I got into the kitchen they had this detergent. I think  
they swallowed some."  
Did she need an ambulance? "Yes."  
Were they conscious? "Yes."  
The lady asked her to repeat her name and address. She then asked who the victim  
was. Michelle gulped. "Nicky and Alex Katsopolis. They're four years old."  
Could she tell what the detergent was? "Oh, let's see." "There are so many  
there. Wait, the stuff on the floor!" She quivered slightly as she read the name.   
"Okay, dear. How much was taken?" Michelle didn't know how much was in  
the container. Besides, a lot had spilled.  
She forced herself not to worry about that. She told the lady her cousins were  
alert. They anxiously waited for Michelle's instructions.  
"All right, dear. Is there an adult there who can help? That's one product where  
it's okay to induce vomiting. Do it before the ambulance gets there if you can." The  
dispatcher had information on every product.  
Oh no. I knew I should have made them...wait a minute! "You mean there's ones  
you can't?!"  
"That's right, dear. But, this one you should."  
Michelle couldn't believe it. For a moment, she'd forgotten her dad's lessons on  
why the Ipecac syrup was there. Poison could really harm someone. She'd assumed  
every poison needed to be vomited. Now, she learned that wasn't true. "There's so  
many rules, even for adults!"  
"My dad or older sister will be here any second. But, I think I can do that,"  
Michelle remarked. She felt more at ease as she talked. Now, she only half felt like  
crying. "This woman has such a pleasant way about her. Was Mom like that?"  
"Okay, dear. Wipe any leftovers off their mouths." She did as she was told.  
"Now, see if they'll drink some water. That will dilute the poison." "Sure,  
whatever that means," she pondered as her knees shook. She threw the paper towels  
into the sink.  
"Make sure your cousins don't lie down. Keep them moving while you do this."  
Michelle couldn't think of anything to have them do. She didn't want them falling.   
The woman suggested that they unlock the door for the ambulance.  
"Of course! I need to call for that." She ordered them to open the front door.   
She told them to come back and stand by the table.  
She was asked if there was any Ipecac Syrup. "Of course," she mused as she  
said "yes."  
Michelle reached the top of the back stairs. She asked herself where her dad was.   
Hadn't his plane landed twenty minutes ago?  
She quickly forgot that problem. She darted into the bathroom. She found several  
bottles. She grabbed three, in case she dropped some.  
She returned and saw the twins at the table. She tried to hide her fear.   
"Everything will be all right. Just keep doing what I tell you." She hoped she  
sounded confident.  
Next, she was told how to make them vomit. She got the boys to take the syrup.   
She prayed silently that she be in time.  
"We'll be okay, won't we, Michelle," Nicky wondered after he swallowed the  
syrup.  
"I wish I could be sure," came the mumbled response. Despite the dispatcher's  
calm, caring voice, Michelle still felt like she and the twins were the only people on the  
Earth right now.  
Her lower lip trembled. "Nothing's happening," cried Michelle after a couple  
seconds.  
"It's okay, sweetheart. It'll take a few minutes. Have them move around so it  
works faster."  
"Uh...how about jumping jacks," she blurted. She detected a slight giggle from  
the lady. She told Michelle what else to do.  
Michelle phoned 9-1-1. She reported that the boys had been poisoned. They  
needed an ambulance. The twins walked around the kitchen. "Why aren't they  
throwing up yet?"  
She provided the same information she had to Poison Control. An ambulance was  
on its way. "It's fitting, the way this day has gone. The first adults to show up will  
be in an ambulance."  
After several tense moments, Nicky and Alex looked queasy. Michelle got each  
twin over a knee. She caught the vomit in two large bowls as instructed. She breathed  
a huge sigh of relief. A siren was heard blaring on their street.  
Nicky gazed up at her. "Are we in trouble again?"  
"Yeah, what happens now," Alex asked.  
Michelle hugged them as they drank glasses of water. "Guys, you obeyed  
perfectly. Just like you had to. I'll be proud to report that to your mom and dad."  
"If I don't collapse from exhaustion first," she told herself. She hollered for the  
paramedics to enter. "I won't face a longer thirty minutes if I live to be a hundred!"  
Moments later, Michelle was speaking to one of the paramedics. Her stomach still  
seemed to contain massive butterflies The presence of an adult comforted her a little.  
"As I said, my dad's flight was delayed by bad weather. But, he should be home  
by now. And, my older..." Stephanie flew in the door. "Finally," came the tired  
remark. She hugged Stephanie. Michelle sobbed as they embraced. She was finally  
comfortable releasing her tension.  
Her older sister was stunned. "It's okay, Michelle. I'm here now. What hap-?   
Oh, no. Where's Nicky and Alex?"  
Danny Tanner raced through the front door. "Dad, where were you, your plane  
landed a half hour ago." Michelle tearily ran and hugged him.  
"Oh no, what happened, is everything all right," rambled her dad. "I'd been  
trying to call, but the line was busy. I just stopped to get the pizza like I said on my  
message."  
He wasn't sure what to make of the mess. Let alone the man walking in from the  
kitchen. The paramedic carried a bottle of cleaner under his arm. He also carried a  
couple paper towels with the cleaner soaked into them. Plus, two bowls  
of...something. Nicky and Alex walked beside the paramedic. It was the most unusual  
sight Danny had ever seen.  
The entering man spoke. "I got the samples...oh, you must be Stephanie and Mr.  
Tanner?"  
Slightly shaken, Danny spoke. "I'm their father. What is all this? What's going  
on here?"  
The first paramedic described the problem. "Your nephews found the key and got  
into your cleaning supplies, Sir. They swallowed some." Danny and Stephanie  
gasped. "It's important to take them in to have them examined."  
Danny said to take them to the ER. He asked what happened. He looked at the  
girls. In turn, Stephanie glanced at Michelle.  
The younger sister stood upright. She shook her head vehemently, and held her  
hands palm forward. "Don't look at me. I've had enough of this in charge' business  
to last a lifetime!"  
"It should be all right, Sir. Vomiting was induced quickly, before we came,"  
said the lead paramedic. The other one walked with the boys out to the ambulance.  
Danny was dumbstruck for a moment. He turned to Stephanie and Michelle.   
"Where are the others? Wait, Joey's in L.A. I thought Jesse was coming back today,  
though. Not that it mattered, with my flight delayed so long, but..." The realization  
suddenly struck him. "Whoa, wait a minute. You two were all alone with them?"   
He hugged the girls. "Thank you so much. Don't worry about the mess. It sounds  
like you did a magnificent job."  
"Don't pin a rose on my nose," Stephanie told him modestly. "I don't know  
what's going on, Joey dropped me off to go shopping before he left. Michelle watched  
them all afternoon."  
"She watched..." Danny bent down to Michelle's level. "Honey, you took  
care of your cousins all by yourself? And you even called and..." He gave her a big  
hug, and spoke tearfully. "Oh thank you, honey, I'm so proud of you. I'm so glad  
they're safe. Oh, thank you, thank you."  
Michelle grinned. She was happy to be away from handling anything herself. "I  
can't believe how draining this is." "You're welcome, Dad. Your job's a lot harder  
than I could have imagined. I don't want any extra responsibility ever again."  
She gazed at the ambulance as it rolled away. "I just want them to be okay."  
  
  
CHAPTER TWELVE  
Michelle returned home with Mrs. Pfister. Her dad and Stephanie stayed with the  
twins. After eating, the girl closed her eyes on the couch. Mrs. Pfister cleaned the  
mess.  
Michelle couldn't believe all that had happened. Her dad must have said "thank  
you" at least a hundred times. She couldn't imagine how much her Uncle Jesse and  
Aunt Becky would say it. And, her dad's show included a weekly segment on people  
who saved lives. Between him and Aunt Becky, the question wasn't whether she'd be  
interviewed. The question was, who of the two would be more emotional.  
Michelle's dad and sister entered the home with Nicky and Alex. Michelle opened  
her eyes. Had they really wearied her that much? She must have been asleep almost  
twenty minutes.  
"Everyone's okay," Danny announced excitedly. Mrs. Pfister left after a round  
of "thank you"s. Danny sat. He put an arm around Michelle. "You look  
exhausted."  
"You said it," came her fatigued reply. "They took all my energy. I could  
have watched them a lot better, though. They wouldn't have had to go to the  
hospital."  
"Well, you did a great job. We stopped at the store and got you something. I'm  
going to bake a great big double layer chocolate cake all for you."  
She perked up at the thought of it. "Yum yum. Cake drives me nuts. Even more  
nuts than Nicky and Alex drove me today."  
He hugged her. "Thank you again, honey. I'm really glad you obeyed my rules.   
But, I have to admit I goofed. I get so scared for you kids. Then, I just get  
overprotective. I talked about all codes and things. But, I didn't leave room for times  
like this. You have to tell someone you're alone sometimes. I want you to call  
someone right away next time. I'll make a list of sitters you can tell."  
Michelle considered her dad's great love and patience. She thanked him. "From  
what I went through, I know you're the best parent on this planet."  
Stephanie entered from the kitchen. She said Mrs. Wilkins had left a message.   
"She'd tried before, but the line was busy. I just called and gave her the scoop. She  
wants Michelle to call her right away next time she's here alone. Even if it's without  
the twins."  
Danny nodded. "Great. Mrs. Pfister said the same thing. Between your friends'  
parents and Stephanie's friends, you have lots of people you can call. I'll just have to  
expect you'll call someone we both trust." He walked into the kitchen to make the  
cake.  
Michelle followed him. She stood in front of him. She glanced at the floor for a  
moment. "Dad, I have to confess something. At first, I was glad I couldn't call. I  
wanted to do things myself. I figured there was no reason to worry. I'm hope you're  
not mad about that."  
Danny knelt and put his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, that's the same mistake  
I made. I figured that not telling anyone except in an emergency would solve all the  
problems. Now we both know better, don't we?"  
She nodded. Her dad was usually quite humble like that. That made it easier to  
admit her mistakes. She realized the importance of making sure everyone was safe,  
including herself. "It got so wild, I couldn't stay on the phone to get someone. I'm  
gonna call right away. I never want to go through this kind of day again."  
Michelle walked back into the living room. Jesse and Becky were just arriving.   
The twins ran to them.  
Becky spoke joyfully. "Good. At least you're home, too, Stephanie."  
"Dad made it home just when I did," Stephanie told her. "He's in the  
kitchen." Danny walked into the living room at that moment.  
"All ready to go to the big carnival tomorrow, boys?" Becky asked them.  
Nicky and Alex gazed sorrowfully at their parents. "We can't go. Michelle  
grounded us," explained Nicky remorsefully.  
Alex shook his head. He stared at his shoes. "We didn't listen good at all."  
Michelle added a couple things. "They can't watch TV till Monday. Plus, they  
can't ride their tricycles or watch videos till next weekend."  
Becky and Jesse were stunned. They knew how excited their children had been for  
the carnival. Michelle wanted so badly to let them go, too.  
Becky stammered. "Well...Danny, were they really that bad?"  
"Oh, they were much better at the end," Danny said. Both parents looked  
relieved. The looks soon disappeared. "I think they learned their lesson. Michelle  
says they obeyed perfectly when she called 9-1-1 and had to induce vomiting in  
them."  
"When what?!" Becky tearfully hugged her children. She was gravely  
concerned. "Are they all right? How, what..."  
Jesse was shocked. "Danny, th-they were fine this morning. What has been  
happening?"  
"I think you'd better ask Michelle that. She's the one who knows the whole  
story." He smiled proudly at her. "She's a real hero."  
Michelle was getting embarrassed by the incredible praise. "I didn't do all that  
great a job." "Oh, Dad, puh-leeease," came the weary comment. She related all  
that happened. Becky and Jesse sat on either side of Michelle. They hugged her  
profusely, and thanked her lavishly. Michelle could tell her Aunt Becky's eyes were  
watery.  
"The doctors said they were okay," Danny added. "I found a new place for the  
key to that cleaning cabinet. They'd broken into it."  
Michelle refused to believe she'd earned the plaudits she was getting. "I blew it.   
I should have been watching them more closely. I could have explained things better,  
too. You know that speech I gave about rules? I should have said that right when they  
came home." Her grin returned. "But, if you were going to bake me a cake like  
Dad, I'd accept anyway."  
Her dad turned to her. "You really did a great job. I mean it."  
  
Michelle walked up to her Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky's room. The couple had  
just put the twins to bed. She licked her lips clean of cake.  
Michelle found the couple relaxing on a sofa. "Well, if it isn't Mommy  
Michelle,'" kidded Becky. Michelle grinned slightly. She sat between them. "You  
really gained their respect. The boys can't wait till you're old enough to actually  
babysit by yourself."  
Michelle was glad Nicky and Alex weren't upset with her. "I guess D.J. was  
right. They could tell I did it in love." She offered to return some privileges. "I  
mean, I don't know if..."  
Jesse halted her quickly. "Hey," he whispered, "were any of those punishments  
for getting into that cabinet? One they knew not to get into? Or for taking something  
from there?"  
"Well...I guess I didn't think about that." Nor did she want to. She didn't want  
to consider even watching them for a while. "I guess I'll know more in a few years.   
Maybe I'll feel like watching them alone again when I'm about 75." The couple  
laughed.  
"They listened perfectly when we got home," commented Becky. "You must  
have gotten through to them. Still, we are going to have some very long talks with  
them tomorrow. We need to make sure they understand."  
"You know what," Jesse began. He looked at Becky and Michelle. "Getting  
into that stuff was dangerous enough. Even without their other misdeeds, we might be  
saying no' to part of the carnival."  
Michelle sighed. They tried to reassure her. But, she couldn't ignore her failures.   
"See what I mean? I had no clue how to be a mom. I could have copied Mom if I'd  
known her. I would have done a much better job than I did. I wouldn't have made  
those mistakes. I'm sure I didn't get half the stuff right, even talking to everyone.   
And, I'm just as much to blame for their getting into that cabinet in the first place!"  
Jesse could tell she was upset. He said he understood why she was so hard on  
herself. "It could have been tragic. But, before you think you were a complete  
failure, I want to tell you about someone. Someone who was supposed to be watching  
D.J. when she was a baby."  
He glanced up, then continued. "You see, D.J. almost swallowed a toy once.   
She could have choked to death. This person just turned her back for a minute. Then,  
she saw the tail end of your Grandma Tanner holding D.J. and rescuing her. Your dad  
must have thanked his mom 500 times that day."  
Michelle flashed her pretty smile. "I think Dad broke that record today."  
Becky gave her another hug. She spoke tearily. "And, we'll probably break it  
again. Thank you so much."  
Jesse continued. "That person felt and said the same things as you. She was  
beside herself with doubt. She didn't think she could care for a child. But that  
someone kept going, despite her failures. Because you see, munchkin, that someone  
was your mother."  
Michelle couldn't believe it. She'd thought her mother could never make mistakes  
like that.  
He noticed her stunned face. "Yes, she made mistakes. I know it's hard to  
believe. You never met her. So, you think she was perfect.  
"You made some too. That and the pressure you felt shows you're not capable of  
being more than a helper yet. But you still did better than any nine-year-old could ever  
be asked to do."  
Michelle sighed. "I guess I did better than I thought," she admitted sadly.   
"But, it's still nothing like having known Mom."  
Jesse put an arm around Michelle. "No, it isn't. But, you know what," he  
began. A small tear gleaned in his eye. "I know we'll meet again in Heaven. But, I  
still miss her terribly sometimes. Having you girls to help raise is the best thing that  
could have happened to me. Because each of you reminds me so much of Pam. You  
may find it hard to believe sometimes. But, you're just like your mother. And you  
can be very proud of that. 


End file.
